BROTHERS who sold fake films, headphones and other phoney goods to customers at Castle Donington Sunday Market have been sentenced.

The pair pleaded guilty following a Trading Standards sting that saw a haul of counterfeit goods with a genuine retail value of £25,000 confiscated from the pair as they traded.

Gurtake Singh Rathore (37), of Scribers Lane, Birmingham, was given a four-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years, and 100 hours of unpaid work.

His brother Gurphaj Singh (40), Boyleston Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, was given a three-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years and 80 hours of unpaid work, at Leicester Crown Court on January 16.

Joe Orson, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for Trading Standards, said: “The trade in counterfeit goods is a serious matter, not only does it harm legitimate businesses, but it also means consumers end up with poor quality, and in some cases, unsafe items.”

The headphones normally retail for around £200 yet the fakes were on sale for only £5.

In total officers seized from him phoney goods, which if they were genuine had a retail value of £8,000.

On a separate stall his brother sold fake DVDs, including films that had not been released, such as ‘12 Years a Slave’ and the ‘Wolf of Wall Street’.

He was also selling counterfeit hand rolling tobacco pouches and cigarettes. He had items seized which would be worth £6,000 if they were genuine.

An extra £11,000 worth of items with a genuine retail value were seized, these were hidden in a bin bag. All the counterfeit goods were subject to a forfeiture order.

In mitigation, the court heard that Gurtake Singh Rathore accepted that it was his responsibility, although he did not own the stock, and that some of Gurphaj Singh’s stock was genuine.

David Bull, head of Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards service, said: “We will continue to put the suppliers of counterfeit goods before the courts. Retailers should ensure they only purchase their stock from trusted and traceable sources.

“Consumers need to be careful when buying cheap priced well-known brands from unknown sources as we have found cosmetics, jewellery, and household goods to be unsafe and they have been supplied by organised crime to launder money.”